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Sunday Spiel #4

Sunday, 18 February 2018

I'm sure you all know the spiel by now. The occasional Sunday blog post chatting about some things that have made my day recently and what I've been up to. A homage to the early blogging days where we just shared the photo's we'd posted on Instagram and talked about how much we wanted some litas. I haven't written one of these posts since coming back to the US and I'm now 1/4 of the way through this semester. It's going fast and I'm sure I'll be back in Scotland before I know it. However, this is a prescheduled post and if everything goes to plan I'll be living it up in Charleston with Jess by the time this goes live. Hopefully, I'll be fannying about it some warmer weather. I may even be wearing a dress with NO TIGHTS.

1. Having friends visiting.

Some of my friends were in New York at the end of January and I went to spend time with them, then last weekend my friends from UConn came down to visit and we just had a lazy weekend in Stamford. We went to the mall, shopped and went to go see The Post at the cinema. It's so nice to have weekends that feel 'normal'. I have friends in Stamford and don't get me wrong, I do love them, but it's nice to spend time with people I don't also work with.

2. Watching a basketball game.

I also took a trip up to UConn to visit my friends there and we went to see a basketball game. Basketball was my high school sport so I actually really enjoyed watching it (unlike baseball which, sorry Americans, has to be the most boring sport to watch). They also introduced me to dining hall food and I tried tater tots for the first time. Overall, a successful weekend.

3. Grace and Frankie.

Grace and Frankie Season 4 was released onto Netflix at the end of January and I've recently finished binge watching it. It's such a feel-good show. And I absolutely strive to be as cool as Frankie in my old age too. It's a short show, 13 episodes of half an hour each so easy to watch in a whole weekend. I can't recommend it enough.

4. Coming home for lunch.

My work is very close to where I live so I've actually started going home to eat lunch. It's nice to have that little break in the middle of the day for a bit of peace and to even watch some tv if I want. I'm also not rushing to make my lunch in the morning and can take the liberty of eating whatever I actually feel like. Really lifting my spirits.

5. Sharing my happy things on Instagram.

I used to have a journal called a 'thankfulness journal' that sounds friends bought me for my birthday. It had space to write four things that you are thankful for every day. Unfortunately, I finished it in December and was missing it. So I decided to start sharing 4 things that I'm thankful for/4 things that make me happy every day on my Instagram stories instead. I've had a lot of fun doing it and it's been really well received by you guys as well.

6. Mull of Kintyre cheddar.

My life was recently changed for the better when I discovered SCOTTISH CHEESE in my local AMERICAN GROCERY STORE. Honestly, adjusting to life in the US has been really difficult for me. And often I feel like the differences between food, language and the extroverted nature of Americans are my biggest struggles. And cheese is very different. Not bad, just very bland most of the time. So I actually audibly gasped after finding this. And it's ruddy marvellous. It's the little things.

7. Booking Hamilton tickets.

I am visiting Chicago at the beginning of March and I've booked a ticket to go and see Hamilton. And let me tell you - it was not cheap. The ticket and my return flights to Chicago are actually cheaper than a ticket to go and see it in New York. I'm sure it will be worth it. Seeing as I'm listening to the soundtrack at least once a day, I may as well see it in person!

8. Buying some new clothes.

The last few months I've been living in a bit of a minimalist nutshell. There's obviously a limited amount of clothes that I can take home with me at the end of my internship, so I've really just been trying to not buy any more. My wardrobe consists mostly of clothes that I wear to work or basic t-shirts and jeans. However, I decided to treat myself to a few new bits before my trip to Charleston and it feels so nice!

Happy Sunday folks. I hope your weekend was a good one and that the week doesn't hurt too much.